Namaste
by Proseac
Summary: Tim is not impressed to learn that Tony practices yoga. It's all a bit woo-woo for the McGeek, but all that's about to change when Delilah returns from Dubai. Tag to Episode 263, "Parental Guidance Suggested" (Season 12, Episode 6).


**A/N: This little bit of pure fluff is brought to you thanks to the urgings of various pals on the NCIS: Grab Your Gear Facebook page... in particular, fellow author Ria Rose and my ever-lovin' pal, Scousemuz1k, who kindly also did a beta for it. The accompanying picture was the inspiration for all this silliness. You're welcome.**

* * *

"I didn't know you practiced yoga," Ellie remarked.

"Oh, yeah," Tony replied. "Balanced mind, balanced life. I've been reading Sting's biography. He's a renaissance man."

"Oh please. I just ate."

For just a millisecond, Tony was taken completely aback by McGee's comment. What the hell was _that?_ And then it dawned on him; _that_ was he – _Tony_ – about 8 years ago.

He'd taught him too well.

He could hardly blame Tim for mimicking his own brand of teasing, even if Tim's version did have a slightly harder edge to it. Tony knew it wasn't meant to be deliberately nasty. It was just banter. But DiNozzo was evolving beyond all that; or, at least, he'd like to think so.

"I reject your negative energy, McGee."

Stay centered, Tony. Focus. Breathe.

"Bogey, DiNozzo, your ten o'clock. Coming down the path."

At the sound of the boss' voice, Tony's focus shifted instantly to the man approaching Tim on the park bench.

"Got him." _Stay sharp. Stay in character._ "Back down to the weapon," he whispered to Ellie. In sync, the two agents bent back down into Trikonasana – Right Triangle pose. McGee might not be his Probie anymore, but Tony's protective instincts were nevertheless in high gear. Whenever an agent was being used as bait, there was always the possibility of it all going terribly wrong. He would always have Tim's six, no matter what insults might be hurled his way; that was just the way it was.

One minute later, the 'bait' was flat on the ground, with a lithe, dark-haired woman holding a gun against his chest…a scene uncomfortably familiar to Tony due to a previous encounter with another lithe, dark-haired woman in a Tel Aviv courtyard. This time, thankfully, there were plenty of witnesses, and the situation was quickly defused.

And Tony's life was about to get a lot more interesting.

* * *

"Who, exactly, were you trying to impress out there with all that "Balanced mind, balanced life" crap, Tony?" Tim tossed his backpack behind his desk chair, eyeing his partner disdainfully as he took his seat.

Tony's gaze remained fixed on his computer monitor. "You've regressed, Tim. I have to say, I'm disappointed."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Without skipping a beat, Tony glided his chair towards his partner's desk and reached for the bottom drawer. "You still have those 'Download your Destiny' CDs in here?"

Tim slapped his hand away and frowned. Considering that he was a published author, it was incredibly frustrating how often words failed him when it came to defending himself against Tony's barbs. This time, however, he had no defense. With horror, he realized that the tables had turned. The tormented had turned into the tormentor. His face reddened.

"Of course not. I don't need that junk anymore." To his surprise, Tony accepted this at face value, and returned to his own desk.

"Self-improvement isn't a bad thing, McSkeptical," he said. "I've learned some very useful things from Mr. Sumner." He waggled his eyebrows. "How are things with Delilah, by the way?"

"Don't change the subject, Tony."

"I'm not. You were making fun of me for reading Sting's biography. But I'm learning a lot from him. It's really helping with all the relationships in my life."

Tim chuckled. "What relationships? Just this morning, you freely admitted that you've dated six different women this month."

"Yes. And how do you think I met all those women, McGee?" Tony grinned. Tim rolled his eyes. "Besides, yoga has a lot of other benefits besides balancing your chakras…" He trailed off, knowing full well that Tim would not be able to resist the urge to press him for more information.

"I know I'm going to regret asking this," Tim sighed, "but ok…what other benefits?"

Tony's smile broadened. "So you _haven't_ read Sting's biography." He opened his e-mail program and typed a message. "I just sent you a link. Let me know how it goes."

* * *

Tim had never bothered opening the e-mail Tony had sent back in October, and he might have forgotten all about it, had it not been for a message sent from tech support one Thursday morning the following March, reminding him that his in-box was getting too full and it was time to archive anything he wanted to keep. Working his way through the backlog, he came upon the cryptic e-mail.

The subject line read simply: _NSFW – you can thank me later._ The body of the message was a single hyperlink: tantra

For Tony to label something NSFW, it must really be bad, Tim thought to himself. The conversation that had spawned the message was long forgotten, but curiosity got the better of him, so he forwarded the message to his home account, before deleting the original.

Tim was more eager to check out the link than he'd ever admit. Although in many respects, he now considered himself Tony's equal, (a fact that DiNozzo would not have disputed – after, all, he'd taught McGee everything he knew!), when it came to women, Tim still valued his partner's advice, even if he seldom anymore solicited it.

Delilah had recently returned to DC, and announced that she was back for good. Thrilled as he was to have his beloved close once more, things were still a little bit weird between them. In contrast, Tony's love life was improving by leaps and bounds. It seemed Zoe was the first serious girlfriend Tony had had since Jeanne Benoit. Admittedly, the yoga hadn't had much to do with their initial encounter, but…

He'd heard of tantric yoga, and he'd heard some of the jokes that were made about it. This could turn out to be nothing more than a really bad practical joke on Tony's part. Then again, Tony's pranks seemed to have risen above the level of 'frat-boy school-yard humor' in recent years, and for some reason he couldn't quite put his finger on, this felt legit. He clicked on the link…

* * *

Tim lifted Delilah out of her chair; for once, she did not resist, and let him gently settle her onto the rubber mat. She glanced around the darkened room, and took a deep, appreciative breath, taking in the scent of incense and the quiet atmosphere, accentuated by the candlelight flickering against the walls of the studio.

"This was a great idea, Tim!" she whispered with a smile. He made a mental note to thank Tony in the morning, then wondered how he was going to do that without raising all sorts of questions from Ellie. He'd have to do it by e-mail, he decided, and hope to heaven Tony didn't crow about it in the bullpen.

Several couples were already situated in the room. In each case, the larger partner sat cross-legged, the smaller sat on the other's thighs with legs wrapped around his body. Most of the men were shirtless, and the women were rather scantily clad as well. Various shapes and sizes were represented, and no one seemed self-conscious about their body in the slightest. They all seemed oblivious to Tim and Delilah's arrival, their gazes locked in some mysterious trance.

The new arrivals tried to position themselves in similar fashion, but Tim was finding it difficult to cross his legs. A hand reached in front of him, depositing a Styrofoam block at his side.

"Here, Tim," whispered the voice that went with the hand. "I needed to sit on one of these myself for the first few weeks. You'll get more flexible with practice."

Tim's ears went instantly red, and his head flew up to catch a glimpse of Tony, settling back into position with Zoe, almost directly across from them. DiNozzo winked at him, then immediately returned to staring intently into Zoe's dark brown orbs. Tim's mouth opened, but no sound came out. Delilah giggled.

"I swear, Delilah, I didn't know he was going to be here," Tim insisted. He cringed as he realized his voice had gone up several decibels, and he was attracting annoyed stares from around the room. He bit his lip. "Sorry," he whispered, avoiding all the eyes trained on him.

Moments later, an older couple (Tim figured they must be in their early- to mid-fifties) entered, laid out two mats right next to each other in the center of the room, and quickly assumed what appeared to be the standard starting pose. Clearly, these were the teachers (Masters, Tim would later learn, was the proper term). They both had almost perfect physiques, and Tim suddenly felt rather self-conscious. The man turned on his iPod, which was obviously connected to an internal sound system, and soft, soothing music began to play.

As the routine began, Tim couldn't help ogling Tony and Zoe. They seemed completely engrossed in their practice, and seemed able to anticipate every pose before it was announced. They moved as one, and Tim realized they must have been doing this together for some time now. His partner might well have met six separate women at this class last fall, but obviously that trend had ceased when Zoe Keates entered the picture. There was definitely something different about this one.

Delilah touched Tim's chin gently with her hand and pulled him back to reality. He gave her an apologetic shrug, and tried to focus on emulating the teachers' moves. He was pleasantly surprised at the accommodations the two teachers made for Delilah's disability; whenever a pose required lower body support, one or the other would come over to their mat and demonstrate a modification that would work comfortably for them both. As the hour-long class progressed, he started to relax, and the more relaxed he became, the more connected he felt to his beloved. Maybe Tony really was onto something?

As the final few minutes of the class rolled by, and they assumed their final pose, everything finally gelled, and Timothy McGee learned the true power of Tantra Yoga.

* * *

Ellie Bishop walked into the bullpen, took one look at Tim, who wore a very self-satisfied smile, and knew instantly that 'something' was up.

"You're in a good mood today, McGee."

"Oh, you have no idea, Bishop."

Moments later, Tony strolled in casually, five minutes late. Tim glanced up as his partner tossed his backpack behind his chair and took his seat.

"Wonderful morning, isn't it?" Tony said cheerily.

"Fantastic morning, Tony," Tim smiled back.

Ellie cast her gaze out the window overlooking the Anacostia River. Rain was pouring down in sheets. On her own way in this morning, her umbrella had been turned inside out from the wind. It was anything _but_ a wonderful, fantastic morning.

This was just too weird.

"All right. I'll bite. What's going on?"

The two gave her a genuinely puzzled look, then glanced at each other and grinned broadly. Tim returned to his computer screen and started typing.

"I just sent you a link, Bishop. Let me know how it goes."

 **THE END**


End file.
